'Hackers take down' Palestinian servers

November 1, 2011

Palestinian children play computer games at an internet cafe in Gaza City. Hackers from around the world have attacked Palestinian servers, cutting Internet service across the West Bank and Gaza, the Palestinian communications minister said.

Hackers from around the world have attacked Palestinian servers, cutting Internet service across the West Bank and Gaza, the Palestinian communications minister said on Tuesday.

"Since this morning all Palestinian IP addresses have come under attack from places across the world," Mashur Abu Daqqa told AFP on Tuesday afternoon.

"The sites have been attacked in an organised using mirror servers.

"I think from the manner of the attack and its intensity that there is a state behind it, and it is not spontaneous."

The attack affected Internet service across the West Bank and Gaza, but Abu Daqqa said the Palestinian banking system had been isolated for its protection.

The incident came a day after the Palestinians won full membership of UNESCO, over objections from the United States and Israel, and Abu Daqqa suggested the Jewish state could be behind the attack.

"Israel could be involved as it announced yesterday that it was considering the kind of sanctions it would impose on us," he said.

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1 comment

The headline is misleading here. Although the attacks may have come from different places, the article clearly states that "The sites have been attacked in an organised using mirror servers" - a botnet in other words.

Also, it appears that "from the manner of the attack and its intensity that there is a state behind it, and it is not spontaneous."

Now what state could have an interest in taking down the internet connections of Palestine? Just wondering...

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